A new year begins. A new U.S. government is seated in Washington, with new attitudes about trade and industry and the environment. New vaccines are being distributed to begin unshackling the marketplace from a year of pandemic.
In short, January 2021 represents a potential turning point—a window opening on an opportunity to start afresh, to reset, to straighten up old accounts, to improve.
"How would you make the most of this moment?" Automotive News asked executives and thought leaders around the industry.
What improvement would you make? What lingering industry frustration would you most like to tackle and resolve? What issue would you invite colleagues and competitors to join you in attempting to fix at this moment, as 2021 dawns, in a bid to improve your business, or the auto industry as a whole?
One answer is so obvious that it goes without saying: We would end the COVID-19 pandemic and return to our normal lives. And indeed, the entire world agrees on that.
But in addition to that, we pressed: Given this opportunity of a new year and a new moment, what wish would you have to make the auto business a better place?
These are the answers.
A national plan for widespread AV deployment
Autonomous vehicles are coming to the market, iteration by iteration. And one issue the Alliance for Automotive Innovation would like policy makers in 2021 to prioritize is establishing a clear path to deploying them at scale in the U.S. as more auto makers and technology companies move into the next phase of development.